In response to a user query, an existing web search engine returns a list of results each represented by a short textual description (referred to herein as a “snippet”) in addition to a title, a URL, and potentially other information. A snippet can be composed of several subsnippets joined by ellipses. The constraint in display size imposed on each snippet, and consequently its subsnippets, negatively limits the descriptiveness and readability of the snippet, thereby affecting its primary function of informing user clicks.